Last month, at 12 and 13 November, the RASL Graduation Exhibition took place. At this two day event, the first ever RASL graduates had the chance to showcase their graduation projects at De Achtertuin in Rotterdam.
Five years ago, in September 2016, the first cohort RASL Dual Degree students started their educational journey through 2 study programs. With enormous enthusiasm they embraced the opportunity to combine and integrate an artistic and an academic education. No idea had they, nor the institutes themselves, of the challenges they would face with the attempt to build bridges between these worlds. Neither could anyone predict what the results of those endeavors would amount to. At that point, it was nothing but a promesse de bonheur – a promise of something good. During the exhibition, five years later, the actual fruits of those efforts were presented.
The works that Eveline, Lotte, Lucas, Gabija, Dianne and Mariana presented are deeply rooted in academic research as well as artistic practices. Their works are engaging, layered, complex and can never be held at face-value. Mariana Gusso Nickel speculates how queer mythologies have a potential to re-organize social practices; Lucas Vermeer’s dreampop is an expression of androgyny and an exploration of forms of social inclusion; in her workshops, Gabija Bubnyté co-creates counter-narratives against homophobia; Eveline van der Duim investigates how we can slow down our lives in a speedy, ever-accelerating society; Lotte Gerick has researched how municipalities can accommodate new and hybrid forms of art; Dianne van der Hoeven challenges the way narratives about psychedelic microdosing are shared on the ‘cosy web’.
Underneath the surface, the roots of the works in this exhibition branch out to academic discourse and research, artistic practices and popular culture. Above the surface they feed their nutritional intake into various artistic and academic manifestations – performances, workshops, essays, videos and art installations. As such, this exhibition is a testimony, by 6 transdisciplinary practitioners, that true transformative potential of arts and sciences, lies in their joining of forces.
The musical opening by Lucas van der Meer during the Graduation Show
The exhibition on Friday was formally opened by Prof. Dr. Liesbeth Eelens-Noordegraaf, co- founder of RASL and member of its Academic Board. During the opening there also were musical performances from Ella Wijnen and Lucas Vermeer and interviews with the graduates. During the exhibition on Saturday, there also was a workshop organized by one of the graduate students Gabija Bubnyté, titled: Conversations about Counter-narratives. This was a workshop in which Gabija Bubnyté conceptualises counter-narratives that resist homophobic speech, set in the context of Lithuania. It definitely was a weekend full of inspiring presentations, performances and conversations.
A still of 'Thesis: Antithesis' by graduate student Dianne van der Hoeven
Dianne van der Hoeven, one of the RASL graduates, presented her graduation project ‘Thesis: Antithesis’ at the exhibition: "I really enjoyed being able to show my work in a physical manner after having done my exam online - especially in context of the works of my fellow RASL graduates. De Achtertuin van Rotterdam was a beautifully-lit space and acted as a perfect backdrop for friends, family and teachers to have a look at our work in real life. It definitely gave the works the attention and space it deserved and it was nice to dive deeper into the research that was behind everyone's works through interviews and our one-on-one talks. I also enjoyed seeing everyone again after a long period of internships and online classes and the show was a celebratory and perfect ending of our five-year studies. I look back at my time as a RASL student gratefully, as it was the perfect combination of all my interests. I not only combined academics and design, but was also able to dabble into digital experimentation in my minor Digital Craft. I especially enjoyed the days on which I had lectures at Erasmus in the morning, and classes on techniques like screen printing in the afternoon at WdKA; this rhythm led to some interesting and unexpected connections. I found that the two studies came together during my internship, where theoretic research could help to deeply root a project and give it the foundation it needs in order to then translate it into effective visual design. This applied from branding lingerie through audiovisual design to wireframing websites for museums and biennales! Making these connections within theories and between theory and practice in turn is the most characteristic for my work and I am excited to develop this practice further in the future.”
RASL team
Marco Aperti, RASL’s new Coordinator, also shared his personal impression of the exhibition: “Even though I am fairly new to RASL, I really liked the community vibe. Rephrasing what Liesbeth said during the opening: “the students made working together between the different institutions possible.” I think finding each other on a day-to-day basis coming from different priorities and different policies, but yet do it for the students, is something remarkable that will always make me proud and happy.”
Exposition set up of Lotte Gerick's graduation project about the use of hybrid art forms by municipalities
We are very proud at the RASL graduates for their outstanding performances and wish them the best in their future careers, whether artistic, academic, or both.
Do you want to know more about the RASL Dual Degree Program? Visit this page or the website of RASL, EUR or Codarts.
This article was written by Julia de Roo, the in-house journalist of WdKA and Mark van Berkum, RASL coordinator at WdKA. Questions or remarks? Feel free to send an e-mail to j.de.roo@hr.nl
